1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an anti-tilting mechanism for a pivotable, sliding panel made from any rigid material such as glass, wood, or fiber structure intended for use such as on balconies, verandas, piscine, wall separation, etc.
2. Brief Description of Prior Developments
Traditional glazing for balconies or the like consists of a plurality of sash glass panels mounted on upper and lower guide rail and adapted to slide laterally past one another. A major disadvantage with this type of glazing is that at most only 50 percent of the glazed-in area can be opened. Furthermore, the outer surface of the pane is awkward to clean.
Glazing structures have been proposed in which the panes can be stacked against a side wall of the balcony by pivoting about a vertical axis. In WO 89/05389 this is achieved by means of a double upper rail arrangement having a straight outer rail and an inner rail. Within the curved portion of the inner rail the trailing edge of the pane turns inwards and the pane can opened against the side wall of the balcony. Such an arrangement is, however, not particularly aesthetically pleasing and friction can arise in the system and still be a lot of effort to clean
In an effort to eliminate these drawbacks, WO 90/121183 proposes a structure in which the top edge pivot pin of the glass pane is held stationary, no curved guide rail for the trailing edge is required. Whilst eliminating some of the disadvantages of the prior systems, the arrangement according to WO 90/121183 introduces its own drawbacks; one being that the pane must be tilted to disengage the upper trailing wheel from its guide rail before pivoting can commence. Since the leading edge of the pane is locked first only when pivoting has commenced, there is a risk that the trailing wheel may not disengage should the pane topple back before pivoting commences. The fact that the leading edge is locked only once rotation has commenced further implies that a flange protruding from the upper guide rail adjacent the opening for the trailing wheel is required to support the trailing wheel during the initial opening operation. Such protruding flanges hinder the possibility to mount curtains or blinds across the glazing. In addition, because only the upper leading pivot pin is immobilized, the pane cannot be opened through more than 90 degree, due to the fact that the lower leading pivot pin would otherwise be forced along the lower guide rail as a result of the change in position of the center of gravity of the pane.